60 Minutes Legend Mike Wallace Dead at 93

Pioneering 60 Minutes journalist Mike Wallace, who spent four decades grilling world leaders and pop culture icons on the venerable CBS newsmagazine, died Saturday in Connecticut. He was 93.

His passing was announced today on CBS News Sunday Morning by anchor Charles Osgood.

Wallace, who was one of 60 Minutes‘ original correspondents when it debuted in 1968, retired in 2006 but still contributed to the program. His final appearance came in 2008 when he interviewed baseball legend and accused steroid-user Roger Clemens.

Wallace’s other memorable interviews included sit-downs with assisted suicide doctor Jack Kevorkian and Richard Nixon aide John Ehrlichman. “There is one thing that Mike can do better than anybody else: With an angelic smile, he can ask a question that would get anyone else smashed in the face,” his late colleague Harry Reasoner was quoted as saying.

“It is with tremendous sadness that we mark the passing of Mike Wallace,” CBS CEO Leslie Moonves said in a statement. “His extraordinary contribution as a broadcaster is immeasurable and he has been a force within the television industry throughout its existence. His loss will be felt by all of us at CBS.”